"I'm looking to be dominant," Bowers said Tuesday, via The Tampa Tribune. "I take the responsibility for that. Anything less than double-digit sacks is a failure for the season. ... I think the way coach (Greg) Schiano has the scheme set up, and my capabilities, and having (defensive tackle) Gerald (McCoy) draw all the attention, it could be a whole lot easier to get double-digits sacks. You just have to work as a unit and not have individual rush planes, just work as a combined unit."

Bowers is part of a stout line that stuffed the run better than any in football in 2012, but too often he's been a ghost.

After starting six games and recording 1.5 sacks as a rookie in 2011, Bowers missed the start of last season with a torn Achilles tendon suffered in May. He returned in October to record three sacks, but was arrested in February for allegedly carrying a handgun into LaGuardia Airport in Flushing, N.Y.

This week, Schiano chimed in again, saying: "If he wants to be more than just a situational pass rusher, he's got to grind through it, he's got to go through the pain of being an every-down player. ... I'm sure banking on it. But you've got to do it."

The Bucs have shown plenty of faith and patience in Bowers. On a rebuilt and potentially nasty defense, he's running out of excuses for why they should wait too much longer.